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California Water Science Center

The U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center (CAWSC) provides reliable, impartial, foundational data and scientific analysis to address water issues facing California today. We conduct hydrologic monitoring and investigative studies in partnership with tribal, federal, state, and local agencies to assist them in managing California's water resources.

News

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Six Page Summary

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Scientists Discuss Research at Geological Society of America Meeting

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New science informs extent of hexavalent chromium groundwater plumes in Hinkley Valley

Publications

Comparative toxicity of two neonicotinoid insecticides at environmentally relevant concentrations to telecoprid dung beetles

Dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) frequently traverse agricultural matrices in search of ephemeral dung resources and spend extended periods of time burrowing in soil. Neonicotinoids are among the most heavily applied and widely detected insecticides used in conventional agriculture with formulated products designed for row crop and livestock pest suppression. Here, we determined the compara
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Michael C. Cavallaro, Michelle Hladik, Samantha Hittson, Greg Middleton, W. Wyatt Hoback

Natural and anthropogenic hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), in groundwater near a mapped plume, Hinkley, California

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) Hinkley compressor station (fig. 1), in the Mojave Desert, 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California, is used to compress natural gas as it is transported through a pipeline from Texas to California. Between 1952 and 1964, cooling water was treated with a compound containing hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), to prevent corrosion of machinery within the co
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John A. Izbicki, Krishangi D. Groover, Whitney A. Seymour, David M. Miller, John G. Warden, Laurence G. Miller

Heavy: Software for forward-modeling gravity change from MODFLOW output

Fortran software, named Heavy, was developed to simulate gravity change due to water-storage change in MODFLOW groundwater models. Heavy is compatible with MODFLOW-2005 and MODFLOW-NWT models using the layer-property flow or upstream weighting packages. All of the necessary information for the gravity calculation—the geometry of the model cells, the storage coefficient, and head change—is present
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Jeffrey Kennedy, Joshua Larsen

Science

Results of Hexavalent Chromium Background Study in Hinkley, California

John Izbicki, PhD, a Research Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) California Water Science Center (CAWSC), led a five-year scientific study to determine the range of natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) hexavalent chromium concentrations, also referred to as chromium-6 or Cr(VI), in Hinkley Valley. The study was cooperatively funded by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control...
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Results of Hexavalent Chromium Background Study in Hinkley, California

John Izbicki, PhD, a Research Hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) California Water Science Center (CAWSC), led a five-year scientific study to determine the range of natural and anthropogenic (human-caused) hexavalent chromium concentrations, also referred to as chromium-6 or Cr(VI), in Hinkley Valley. The study was cooperatively funded by the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control...
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Emergency Drought Barrier’s Impacts on cyanoHABs and Water Quality

Drought is making the Delta Saltier. Less freshwater coming from watershed runoff and reservoir releases means that more salty water flows into the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Delta) from the Pacific Ocean. Changes in Delta salinity have far-reaching impacts, affecting the water supply for agriculture, drinking, wildlife, and Delta ecosystems.
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Emergency Drought Barrier’s Impacts on cyanoHABs and Water Quality

Drought is making the Delta Saltier. Less freshwater coming from watershed runoff and reservoir releases means that more salty water flows into the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta (Delta) from the Pacific Ocean. Changes in Delta salinity have far-reaching impacts, affecting the water supply for agriculture, drinking, wildlife, and Delta ecosystems.
Learn More

Salinas Valley Operational Model: Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project

An operational model for Salinas Valley is needed to evaluate and compare ecosystem, conservation, and water demands. This model must simulate current operations, assess benefits of and evaluate scenarios for tunnel operation and potential reservoir and spillway modifications.
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Salinas Valley Operational Model: Interlake Tunnel and San Antonio Spillway Modification Project

An operational model for Salinas Valley is needed to evaluate and compare ecosystem, conservation, and water demands. This model must simulate current operations, assess benefits of and evaluate scenarios for tunnel operation and potential reservoir and spillway modifications.
Learn More